Witness The Insanity: Agency Social Media & New Business

Continuing with thoughts on our latest RSW/US survey, Changes in Social Digital Media (2009-2012)(download here), and one stat I find particularly strange in regards to agency social media usage.

From the survey:

Agencies are increasing their use of social media as a tool for agency new business prospecting with 87% of Agencies stating they use it as a tool for engagement. This compares to only 58% three years ago.

 

Not surprising but still impressive.

Agencies should be increasing their use of social media to gain more new business.

Especially since, as our survey shows, Marketers are getting more and more adept at social media.

However, a very strange finding followed.

Despite the ever-growing use of social media among agencies as a tool to help generate new business opportunities, only 17% of Agencies see it as being a very effective platform (with 29% rating it not at all effective).

HUH?

So, we’re seeing a 29% increase in agency social media use of new business, with a whopping 87% of agencies using it, yet only 17% find it effective?!

Doing It Wrong

This is a theme we’ve touched on before-but if you’re engaging in social media for your agency and new business is not a, or the, main goal, you’re wasting your time.

My guess is these agencies who don’t find it useful aren’t:

1)      Positioning themselves as thought leaders in their respective spaces

2)      Following/Liking their prospects (and so are effectively talking to themselves)

3)      Using social as one channel, interacting and supporting with all the other channels available

4)      Providing relevant or effective content (see #1)

So agencies, please-if you’re going to engage in social for new business, do it with purpose, or don’t do it at all.